Map of the Week

Not all passports are created equal, as this week’s map will show you.

January 6- January 12

This week’s map illustrates the drought status for each individual state as of December 9, 2014.

December 30- January 5

New Years Resolutions are made by millions of people nationwide. This week’s map shows how many people made resolutions in 2013 on Twitter and which category those resolutions fell into.

December 23- December 29

With Christmas just days away, this week’s map illustrates the chances of having a White Christmas this year by state.

December 16- December 22

With the holidays quickly approaching, this week’s map shows you the last order date using UPS ground shipping in order to get your gifts on time.

December 9- December 15

This week’s Map of the Week shows ancestry with the largest population by state, according to the country’s 2010 U.S. Census.

December 2- December 8

World AIDS Day is recognized worldwide on December 1st. This week’s map shows the number of Americans living with AIDS by state.

November 19- December 1

This week’s map shows the top pie recipe by state in honor of Thanksgiving.

November 11- November 18

With Veterans Day being celebrated on Tuesday, November 12, this week’s map counts homeless veterans by state.

November 3- November 10

Don’t forget to vote on Election Day November 4, 2014! This week’s map shows poll closing times for this year’s general elections.

October 27- November 2

With Halloween just around the corner, this week’s “Map of the Week” shows household spending for children’s costumes by state.

October 20- October 26

This “Map of the Week” comes from an article that looks at water usage throughout the United States. Note that household water usage also counts sprinklers and lawn watering! Also, keep in mind where drought is persisting today.

October 13- October 19

Has your state begun to think about climate change prepardness?

October 6- October 12

Will you have off on Columbus Day? Our “Map of the Week” shows where state workers do (indicated in blue) and do not have the holiday off.

Septmeber 29- October 5

October 5th is World Teachers Day! Our “Map of the Week” uses Bureau of Labor Statistics to look at the states where teachers are paid the highest (and lowest).

Septmeber 22-28

Today’s “Map of the Week” illustrates world meat consumption per capita according to the Food and Agriculutre Organization of the United Nations. The world average as of 2013 was 41.90 kg per person per year, but the United States tops the list at 122.6 kg per person per year. The U.N has estimated a population growht between 9 and 12 million by 2100; can the world’s meat consumption be sustainable?

September 15-21

This week’s edition is themed for the fall allergy season that is just around the corner. See how CO2 emissions and subsequent climate change is adversely affecting our enviornment in relation to pollen.

August 25-31

This week’s ‘map of the week’ commemorates Labor Day and shows us the differences between minimum wage laws across the states. Check it out to see how your state rates.

August 18-24

Which state has the highest concentration of Facebook users? Find out on this week’s map of the week! Also, like us on Facebook so you can state up to date with everything happening at AGS!

August 11-17

How concerned are US residents about healthcare? See what percentage of the US population have health insurance in our map of the week.

August 4- August 10

WIll you be taking a swim during your vacation? Our map of the week shows the rate of swimming pool drowning deaths per US state 1999-2007.

July 28- August 3

This week we are celebrating Parents Day. Our map of the week shows single-parent families throughout the US.

July 21-July 27

This week’s map of the week helps you prepare for your summer road trips, take a look at where you can find the cheapest average gas prices in the US!

July 14-July 20

July 7-July 13

This week’s map of the week celebrates World Population Day, which raises awareness of global population issues. Take a look at which US States are most populous!

June 30-July 6

Will you be celebrating Independence Day with fireworks this weekend? Take a look at our map of the week to see where sparklers will have to do, or fireworks are banned altogether throughout the USA.

June 23-29

Unemployment fell in 20 states last month as the US posted a fouth straight month of solid hiring. How long will this continue for? Check out this week’s map of the week to see which states were best off last year.

June 16-22

Map of the week celebrates Mondays fresh vegetable day. No state or territory in the U.S. has over 50% of the population consuming fruit more than twice a day, or vegetables three times a day despite latest dietary guidelines calling for five to thirteen servings.

June 9-15

This weeks ‘Map of the Week’ shows past winners of the World Cup and possible contenders for this years title. Who do you think will win this year’s title? Will Brazil retain the title of the team that has won it the greatest amount and make it a equal number of wins with European teams? Or will a European team win and further advance their lead?

June 2-8

Overall Income growth from 1979-2007 by state in the US.

The former secretary of labor Robert Reich, described today that income inequality is the “civil rights struggle of our time”.
Check out our map of the week to see which states have experienced the greatest income growth!

May 12-18

The school year is coming to a close and the weather is heating up–summer is right around the corner! This week’s maps will help you pick your perfect getaway destination.

Take a look at the Top 20 Global Destinations of 2013 (above, left) and the Top 25 Travelers’ Choice Best Destinations for 2014 (above, right).

See where they intersect (left) and make your choice!

Happy Summer!

MAY 5 – 11

Celebrate Mothers around the world with this week’s interactive maternity leave map. Zoom in and out to view the wide variety of maternity leave laws across the globe. Click on a bubble to read more detail on the laws of each country.

*A few tips*:

Zoom in and out by using the wheel on your mouse, the scroll on your laptop’s track pad, or the +/- icons to the bottom left of your screen.

Minimize the list of countries on the left by clicking the icon “170” on the top of your screen.

The map follows this legend:

A Preview of the Maternity Leave Map:

APRIL 28 – MAY 4

Cinco de Mayo celebrates the Mexican victory against French troops at the Battle of Puebla on May 5th, 1862. This week’s map shows the percentage of people, in the United States, who identify as Mexican. Olé!

APRIL 21 – 27

In honor of Earth Day, this week’s map illustrates the percentage of energy consumed in 2011 which came from a renewable resource. The renewable sources included in this analysis were hydroelectric, wind, geothermal, biomass and solar. Additionally, total energy expenditure during 2011 is displayed on this map.

APRIL 14 – 20

This week’s map diplays the number of foreign-born persons in the United States who obtained legal permanent resident status in the year 2012. The arrows on the map represent the directional flow from the country of origin to the United States.

APRIL 7 – 13

All too often we are reminded that terrorism continues to inflict pain and suffering on people all over the world. Hardly a week goes by without an act of terrorism taking place somewhere in the world, indiscriminately affecting innocent people, who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. For this week’s map we try to display how terrorism is spread on a global scale over the range of 22 years, starting from the year 1990 and ending in the year 2012 (1993 is missing due to a lack of data).

This map was created using the Global Terrorism Database by The National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START). It displays each terrorist attack that claimed more than one life and accords to the following criteria (set by START):

The act must be aimed at attaining a political, economic, religious, or social goal.

There must be evidence of an intention to coerce, intimidate, or convey some other message to a larger audience (or audiences) than the immediate victims.

The action must be outside the context of legitimate warfare activities

MARCH 24 – 30

This week’s map shows you how innovation is distributed in the United States, using patents as an indicator. The patents’ origins are determined by the residence of their first-named inventor. The basis for these maps is the General Patent Statistics Report by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

MARCH 17 – 23

Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day here is a map that shows Irish Ancestry in the United States. Using data provided by the United States Census Bureau, this map displays the percentage of each county’s population that stated to have Irish Ancestry (data are from 2009).

MARCH 10 – 16

This map displays the flatness of the United States. To construct this map a quantitative analysis of the contiguous United States was performed, employing geographic software, digital elevation data, and a new algorithm for measuring flatness. The viewpoint of a person standing on any spot and looking toward the horizon in all directions was taken as a measure (view is limited to 3.3 miles). This calculation was repeated every 295 feet across the entire United States. These calculations were aggregated for each state and determined flat land as a percentage of each state’s total area. For more information call up: Dobson, J.E. and J.S. Campbell.2014. “The Flatness of U.S. States” Geographical Review 104(1): 1-5.